Terelains
The Terelain Species, Felis Aeterna, is one of the two most prominent feline-descended races in the galaxy and is native to the planet Aerin, they also possess the longest lifespans known to a race the Shinobi possibly rivaling them, thouigh only because the Shinobi lifespan, like everything else about that enigmatic race, is entirely unknown. Physical Characteristics Fur The Terelains possess fur that covers their entire bodies which can be of almost any colour, prominent markings can also be displayed, Terelain fur is surprisingly soft. Furthermore, certain markings have become associated with particular families, especially the old noble families, these are akin to birth-marks which identify that Terelain as descended of a certain family. Female fur is generally a lighter colour and thinner than male fur. Tails Terelains also possess long tails that can be used to grasp objects, their tails are also highly sensitive to temperature and touch resulting in several taboos in the Terelain culture regarding contact with tails, the breaking of these taboos are considered the highest insult to a Terelain's honour, dignity and status, as such it is not uncommon for duels, and even fatalities, arising from tail-touching or tail-related insults. There have been numerous reports of fatalities amongst other races for accidental insults violating these taboos, though this is less common with slightly less reserved Terelains who are willing to take the ignorance of 'children' into account. The tail is also heavily used to display emotion. Claws, Fangs and Natural Abilities Claws Terelains possess retractable claws on their hands and feet for use in climbing or self-defence, in addition Terelains possess sharp fangs capable of tearing apart flesh. Despite these obviously predatory roots the Terelain race as a whole is unagressive and highly advanced culturally, however their ancestry can most prominently be seen when they are forced into a corner, being highly ferocious when needed. General Physical Characteristics and Senses Terelains are shorter than humans but have better hearing, smell and vision, especially at night, furthermore they are much faster and more agile than humans. Lifespan The Terelain lifespan is technically indefinite, if disease and injury is avoided. However, due to the hazardous nature of living the average Terelain can expect to live for some twenty to thirty thousand years. Nathaniel, the current King, is over twenyt three thousand years old and ascended the throne at a relatively young age at age 24, his reign is the longest on record with the possible exception of Terel, however as his reign extends into Terelain Prehistory it is difficult to establish the exact duration. Terelain Specific Psychological Disorders Feral Syndrome Extensive or prolonged physical or psychological stress may cause a Terelain to become 'Feral' - that is to lose their sentience. The duration for being Feral ranges from a short period or until stress is relieved. There have been cases of permanent Ferals. Note: There have been a total of four cases of Terelain Monarchs becoming Feral, one was permanent. Becoming Feral is grounds for the forced abdication of a Terelain Monarch. Eternity Shock/Immortal Deppressive Disorder Rare disorder in which a Terelain who is exposed to 'short-lived' races for too long becomes trapped by his own near-immortality and through a catastrophic and unrealistic self-analysis determines that life without end is ultimately meaningless, leading to a deppressive spiral that ultimately ends in suicide. Terelain Culture The Terelain culture is primarily based upon personal and familial honour, duty to the state and a code of behaviour and common courtesy enshrined as deeply held taboos. Honour One of the most dangerous concepts when dealing with Terelains, insulting the honour of an individual, an individual's family or friends is a highly fool-hardy act for any non-Terelain. The Terelain Race as a whole takes honour very seriously and duels and wars have been fought over personal insults, fatalities amongst the ignorant who deal with Terelains can be high if the individual you are dealing with is not very forgiving of accidental insults. Grudges in Terelian can last a very long time, and certain Noble Houses have held feuds for countless millenia based on honour, open war, assassins, the fall of great houses through subtle political machinations... Some of the greatest and worst events in Terelain history can be traced to the defense of honour. Honour is the most common translation of the Ancient Terelain word 'Anhuin' which is the name of one of the Twin Swords of Terel which were forged in the Age of Divinity, the blades which struck the fatal blow to many of the Old Ones and the dual principles upon which the Kingdom of Terelian was founded by Terel. It is also one of the major forces which govern the lives of Terelians, their politics and binds the Kingdom together, it is not for nothing that one of the oldest surviving pieces of Terel's actual words is 'Honour is that which binds us. Duty is that which compels us. Victory is that which we forever must strive for.' As a note, the Ancient and Noble House of Amaar, the second oldest of the Great Families of Terelian, is generally considered to be the most honourable of all the Houses. A common saying is that 'You are more likely to die before you hear of an Amaar breaking his word' indeed it is not uncommon for an Amaar, if questioned over his or he trustworthyness to simply reply "I am Amaar". Ritual Suicide has been known to occur as a way for an individual to regain their honour after shaming themselves to a vast degree, the method is generally 'falling upon thy sword', that is pressing a sword to your heart, running forward to gain momentum and then deliberately impaling yourself. There have been many cases of this occuring in pre-space Terelian, especially after a great dishonour is revealed or a Noble House is discredited to such a degree by enemy plotting that only the death of the current ruler can retain the House's status. Duty The concept of Duty to a Terelain is immensely important, it is the force which governs many of the acts a Terelain comits. For example a Terelain may go to war, comit suicide, cast out his own beloved children, all for the sake of his duty to either the crown or his people as a whole. The Ancient Terelain word 'Gerenan' is generally translated as 'Duty' and is the name of one of Terel's Twin Swords forged in ancient times and is one of the Twin Principles of the Terelain Way - the concepts by which Terel ruled and upon which Terelian itself was founded. Taboos In accordance with their strict sense of personal honour, the Terelain culture is littered with many taboos and rituals designed to mitigate or resolve situations arising from accidental breakage of these rules and laws. The most personal insult to a Terelain is that of touching him or her without prior authorisation, this is especially enforced concerning contact with the tail. A second taboo is that of speaking to, or aiding in any way, enemies of the state or outcasts from Terelain society, this is can be extended to those that become feral, who are generally shunned and treated as fragile or, at worst, permanently ill if they recover. Clothing Due to their thick fur, clothing is not as necessary for Terelains as it is for the furless humanoid races. As such, clothing in their culture is more of a status symbol or affection rather than a strict necessity due to weather conditions or modesty issues, indeed being 'sky-clad', that is walking around in simply their fur is not an issue with Terelains, though in the company of other races clothing is much more often worn, those who prefer to be 'Sky-Clad' often wear decorations such as rings, chokers, bracelets arms, legs or tail and other such decorations, based on wealth these may be simple iron bands engaved with a few symbols or intricately crafted braclets of precious metals and studded with gems. Terelain styles for such items is highly reminscent of celtic designs. Those in high positions use clothing to show off their wealth, having clothes of rare or costly materials, or having decorations of precious metals seperates them from the peasantry. Religion The Terelain Religion is a polytheistic religion reminiscent of the faiths of the Classical Civilizations - Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. The Terelain Religion is split into two phases and thus two pantheons, although a third pantheon exists which is not worshipped. The original Terelain religion, the faith of the Old Ones' Pantheon, is now extinct. Whilst it's modern counterpart, the Younger Gods' Pantheon is the main religion of the Terelain people. Festivals and Events There are many religious festivals and occasions within the Terelain Faith, the three most important are: The 'Joyan Eternus Terel-Saar' or the 'Festival of the Immortal Father' which remembers the deeds of Terel the Eternal, First Terelain and First King, Founder of Oberoth, the Eternal Lord. It is a day of religious reflection and the telling of tales. The 'Joyan Millenus Aenus' or the 'Festival of the Thousand Years' It occurs once every thousand years on the anniversary of the Founding of Oberoth and thus the beginning of Terelain History. It is a time of celebration - wine flows like water, there is singing and dancing in the streets, all of Terelian marvels at their long and proud lineage, it is customary for there to be historical plays, often with the aid of mentally projected illusions or, more recently, holograms. It is at this time that the 'Ritual of Rapture' takes place, in which a powerful female mage weaves a spell in order to bing about prosperity and protection for their people over the coming Millenium, the dance is accompanied by the singing of the 'Sacred Histories' of Terelian interwoven with the spell, it often causes the female's eyes to glow and bands of lights to swirl around on her body. The 'Temoras Moran Requia' or the 'Time of Mourning' which marks the aniversary of the Burning of Gilau, in which the Terelain Star-Fleet destroyed the world of Gilau and rendered the Gillorian Race extinct after a long series of wars over the entirety of Terelain History. It is a time for forgiveness and sorrow as the entire race mourns the atrocities commited by their people at a time when they were blinded by hatred and rage, it is a reminder of the dangers of allowing the primal emotions to take control. Creation Myth The creation myth of the Terelains is notable for it's predicition of the Big Bang Theory. The myth can be summarised thus: Before All that Is was there was Nothing. This Nothing was so void of anything that it gained a form and shape of it's own. After aeons of amassing together, The Nothing collapsed in on itself in a great explosion of Something. This we call The Singularity. In time The Something gained a consciousness, and this became The Two - the Primordial Deities, Time and Chaos. Time took up the form of a woman and Chaos took the form of a man. Time peered into the Future and beheld a vision which she named Ta Siima Aera Na Stakra Deia; The Shining Jewel set amidst the Starry Heavens. Chaos knew that if the Jewel was created it would lessen his Dominion - the chaotic movements of The Something. He thus set out to prevent the creation of The Jewel. Time foresaw this and so seduced Chaos and bore from him a son whom she named Order who would protect her vision by fighting against his father. Tired from this, Time created Toren and Taera, the Mother and Father of the Old Ones. Toren and Taera had several children, and together they gathered up The Something to create the Jewel of Time's Vision. Once the Earth and the Sky were created, Toren grew curious about the extent of his power, and so he gathered up the barren dust from the lifeless Earth and shaped it into the form of a Terelain, he then breathed life into it. It awoke and spoke thus "I am Terel, He Who Was First, and I shall serve faithfully unto you my Creator for all of my days for this gift of life" and so Toren set Terel down upon the barren Earth and went on to create the World, with Terel offering advice. Eventually they created Tamara, the first Terelain woman as a reward for his aid, thus completing the world of Aerin, the Shining Jewel that Time had forseen was complete. The Old Ones created great palaces for themselves and rested from their labour The tale then also goes on to show the Corruption of the Old Ones, they became malevolent and cruel, enslaving the Terelains and creating the Dragons to enforce their will. Eventally Terel led his people in a revolt and fled the Old Ones, eventually summoning forth the Spirit of Time to create the Younger Gods to drive out the corrupted Old Ones in the final battle on the slopes of the mythical Renal mountain. This was the Great Rebellion which formed the First Kingdom. Aeons later the Old Ones returned and destroyed the First Kingdom during the War in Heaven, however the Old Ones themselves were defeated. Before Toren was imprisoned like the rest of his family he managed to discover the fledgling Gillorian Race whom the Younger Gods had created to aid them in the war, he managed to corrupt the Gillorians who then betrayed Terel and turned on them, forcing the Younger Gods to shatter the world in the Great Cataclysm. Eventally Toren was found and imprisoned, but the damage was done. Aerin had been corrupted beyond repair. Terel then led the remnants of his people back to the place where he had first been created and rebuilt Oberoth and thus he founded the Second Terelain Kingdom. The Terelains also have a myth stating that the Old Ones will one day break free of their prison to wreak their vengeneance upon the Terelains and the Younger Gods and will try to scorch Aerin from existence, in the final battle Terel will return and lead his people to victory, finally destroying the Old Ones and returning Aerin to it's pristine condition, creating an everlasting paradise. Dark Energy/Mana The unique ability of Terelains to detect and harness the little-known and understood energy that permeates the universe. Though called 'Mana' by most Terelains, the 'older' generations i.e those who lived during the Age of Divinity and the First and Second Ages, also call it the 'Blessing'. Social Effects Terelain society places great value on those with magical talent, especially those with unusual amounts of control over 'Mana' in the form of even more powerful magic than the average Terelain, these often become full-time Mages, were as for most Terelains magic is simply used to make life easier. Mages are fully dedicated to the study of Magic, creating new spells and finding out more about the enigmatic substance of Mana. The most powerful, wisest and generally oldest Mages may gain the title Archmage; becoming the leader, and occasionally founder, of a particular 'school' of thought on magic, academies and libraries where Apprentice-Mages may study, etc. Mages, Archmages, and other students of magic can be split into two broad types - the Traditional Arcane and the Guilds. The Traditional Arcane School Also known as the 'Mages of the Tower' school of thought, they literally live in 'Mage Towers' - they isolate themselves from the rest of the universe, concentrating solely on their studies. They are the magical equivalent of monks and scholars. There are many Mage Towers on Aerin and her Colonies, they are found in the most isolated areas of the worlds - mountains, forests, vast plains. Depending on the personality of whomever built the Tower, it can be made of nearly any material; from iron to crystals to stone, Mage Towers also vary wildly in architectural styles, on average a Mage Tower will have one, possibly two Archmages and a few hundred Acolytes and lesser Mages residing in them, along with a vast library of magical knowledge. One of the most famous of the Mage Towers is the 'Ivory Tower' on Aerin - a slender spire of glowing crystal rising into the sky in defiance of the laws of gravity, it is home to one of the oldest and most revered of the Archmages, he is rumoured to be the oldest living Terelain; known to be well over 80,000 years old, he is said to have fought in the War in Heaven during the Age of Divinity, to have seen and spoken to the Old Ones and the Younger Gods and even Terel himself! in mind, recorded Terelain History spans barely 40,000 years not counting the Oral History The Mage Tower operates on a very strict hirearchy of power - the most powerful, and thus over all head of the Order which the Tower houses would be the Archmage, to whom everyone must call Master out of respect, next in precendence would be the Archmage's Disciples who would head the various disciplines being taught at the Tower, they are known as the High Mages, below these would be the Master Mages, Mages, Lesser Mages, Journeymen, Apprentices and Novices. Another famous Tower, or rather a rare conglomeration of Towers, is the City of the Archmagi; commonly called the City of Spires or the Crystal City. It is a sprawling city of hundreds of Mage Towers built of pure Mana Crystal on the planet of New Amra and is cited by the Terelains as a Wonder of the Universe. It is also the largest concentration of Mages in Terelian and thus the galaxy, the Duchess of Amra, the Lady Nariel, spent several hundred years here to improve her magical skills. The Mage Guilds A slightly more 'modern' way of teaching magic, the Mage Guilds are far less mystical and mysterious and less isolated than their Traditionalist counterparts - most often a Mage Guild is located near the centre of a city. Here hundreds of Mages gather to teach new students the arcane arts - the largest Guilds hold several thousand students at a time and possess extensive grounds. The structure for the Guilds is more closely akin to that of a University than the Master-Apprentice style favoured by the Traditionalists. Rather than Archmages, senior Guild teachers can be elected to positions such as Chancellor, Dean or Arch-Dean of the Guild. Teachers at the Guilds are generally given titles such as Professor. Students are split along various lines by ranks such as Initiates, Novices, Apprentices, Journeymen and 'Ma-erain' - an untranslateable Terelain word, though it is generally considered to mean 'the Enlightened' - this translation is flawed however as it misses out on several uniquely Terelain concepts. For all intents and purposes The Guilds act as the typical 'university/school for magic' found in fiction, whilst the Mage-Towers are muc more exclusive and concentrate purely on attaining a perfect understanding on the true nature of Mana and Magic, as a result Ascension is actually a fairly common 'death' for an Archmage of The Towers due to their near-perfection understanding of Mana, Magic and the ultimate nature of the Universe. (Never interrupt an Archmage's studies it... Irritates them) The Origins of Magic There is a reason why the oldest Terelains refer to the ability to understand the mysteries of the universe and utilise it's most fundamental energies as 'The Blessing' - this is supposedly because when the Old Gods created Terel and His People they infused their very souls with Divinity, the Essence of the Gods... Dark Energy. Therefore, unlike any other known race, Dark Energy is an intrinsic part of the Terelain Soul, it is interwoven into the Psychic Energy, it is an integral part of their very essence. This is quite possibly the source of their near-immortality, it is also why the Terelains managed to rebel against the Old Ones and survive, to cast down the very Gods themselves at least some seriously powerful Precursor Race and why Ascension is most common in enlightened Terelains. The ability to control Dark Energy/Mana is therefore an intrinsic part of Terelain nature. The Terelain Language The Terelain language is probably the oldest language still in existence in the Known Galaxy. It is a highly complex language which relies heavily on body language, tail movements and inflections in order to make it meaningful. Terelain is similar to Latin in that many nouns can have variant meanings depending upon the context. Terelain is a highly varied language with many myriad dialects coexisting at once, the last Great Census recorded that 123,894 dialects currently exist. Many of these are archaic dialects coexisting besides more modern variants. Like Shakesperian English exists besides Modern English. The written Terelain language is very complex and two broad forms exist: Poetic Script (High Terelain) This is the youngest form and resembles Arabic or Hebrew. It was created to be highly emotive and expressive whilst also being visually beautiful. Like all forms of Terelain it utilises marks similar to those used in Hebrew which denote inflections, pauses and accents, unlike Hebrew Terelain also utilises marks which denote tail movement, body language and context. Poetic Script is most often used in political addresses, poetry, inscriptions on sculptures and monuments, etc. Common Script (Low Terelain) The original form of written Terelain, it utilises dashes, dots and marks similar to Chinese or Japanese characters. It also utilises the body language, accent and tone marks. Low Terelain, as it is sometimes known, is the most common form of Terelain in use. Terelain Basic A special form of Terelain created to allow easier communication between Terelains and aliens. It uses less body language and more vocal communication than other forms of Terelain and its written form does not rely as heavily upon the context markings, making it easier for Non-Terelains to read. In effect it is an artificial variant of Terelain equivalent to talking loud and slow, in simple sentences and occasionally baby-talk. Category:Races Category:T Category:Canon